I've got lots of tuberous begonias this year. Every year I have more of them and less of the fibrous. I love the Dragon Wings but the tubers are much easier to overwinter because they nap, and I can stack the dry pots.

Purple, I suggest you look into Begonia boliviensis and the hybrids developed from it as your first tuberous begonias, because they are supposed to be more heat tolerant. I'm trying to grow the new one, "Santa Cruz Sunset," from seed. More accurately, I have seedlings and I'm trying to not kill them. I know I can get a begonia from seed to flowering, because I grew "Illumination Salmon" and "Go Go Cherry" from seed last year. They did bloom, but the plants didn't get to their full adult size. I saved the resulting tubers and the survivors are waking up. This year they should come into their own.

I'm definitely curious about scented begonias and will check back to see what info people have. I've seen them in a couple of catalogs but have yet to sniff one in person. I love fragrant plants.

I have acquired several cuttings, new plants, and leaves :) I've put Paul Hernandez, Little Brother Montgomery, and your NOID pink smaller cane. It has sedums growing in the pot as well, but I plan on moving those sometime this season.

I put Castaway in with my hedichiums, and Lucerna in with my toad lily. I tucked in my tuberous begonias into a few pots to fill in dead space. So I am hoping to have my begonias somewhat integrated into my balcony garden and then I'll just move them out of pots they can't stay in in the fall. The Paul Hernandez pot can come in completely.

I want my begonias to add some lushness and height with blooms.

I have several leaves and such that I am trying to grow out. Those will probably end up going into new pots, maybe a few to a pot while they are tiny.

Ooh that sounds like fun, Julianna. It might be easier to ask what CAN'T Begonias do! Don't know if I mentioned yet, but the Castaway and Lucerne don't mind quite a bit of sun, as well, of course, as enjoying shade, very versatile!

I forgot to mention above that, in addition to putting some in the ground, I'm going to mix cane Begonias instead of having pots of just one kind. Then fill with Tradescantia zebrina to trail down the sides. Some pots were already like that, but as the Trad continues to fester creep, there's more of it to decorate more pots.

Can't remember - did I send some of the Begonia pictured below? It makes hot pink flowers, which it hopefully will do again soon...

When i had Lucerna before, it was on my east-facing porch of the house I was renting. it got direct morning sun and did beautifully. Since I have no direct sun anymore, I am still hoping for the best lol!

I like the combination idea! I love the begonias, but some of the taller ones are kind of bare at the bottom. Nice fix.

You did send me a piece! It is still living too lol. I have high hopes for it. When does it typically bloom for you?

Oh good, I couldn't remember and that one sure is cute with the smaller spotty leaves. I got it mid-summer last year, so can't speak about it in terms of usually yet. So far, it seems a lot like Castaway, blooming sporadically when it gets in the mood. Surprised I'm not seeing buds on any of the Castaway yet, which usually blooms before it gets outside, but it has been much more cloudy this year and with the personal stuff the past few weeks, there have been days when I just didn't have time to get the curtains open.

I want to do more with propagating the wax Begonias this year, and start moving some to a spot where we altered the exposure by putting up a shed last spring, making a new strip of almost total shade.

Was noticing a hanging pot a few minutes ago that I filled last spring with almost horizontal cuttings. A couple of the pieces got heavy enough to lean over the edge, and the position caused many stout new tops to come straight up. So I want to place more of them like that in the future if they'll be hanging.

There are a lot of good branches in this yard for hanging plants and Begonias are at the top of my list to dangle and sway in the breeze in these pots.

So is it more of a trailing cane? I kind of thought so, but wasn't sure. Your new experiment with shade sounds fun. I haven't ever propagated wax begonias before.

My tray of leaves are doing well. And by well, I mean they are not dead lol. I figure this is still a good sign for it having been a few weeks. I need to plant the lucerna leaves that sprouted roots. Can't hurt!

Ohhh nice to have a possible ID! Yeah, this looks a tad more trail-y. I think it will be nice in the situation I put it in, but if not one can always move them, right? haha!

I planted my rooted Lucerna leaves today. I need to check on my tray of leaves that should be rooting. I'm a bit nervous because I am going away for the week this next week and my husband is in charge. Everything should be fine, but... :)

I don't know why you're asking me, you seem to have the Begonia knack much more than me. You've caught me taking a break from carrying everything heavy enough to not blow away outside... my judgement is cloudy at the moment! If you listen closely, is it asking for more light? LOL!

ROFL! Well, Hmm. I think it actually wants less light. I could give it that by putting it outside. I just don't know if I should move it or not. I guess it isn't going to probably matter much. I think I will since my husband is alone with my plants next week and most certainly will not check its tiny pot to see if it needs water. I seem to remember you saying to rooted the leaves in situ in the bigger pots outside, right? Seems like a plan to me.

Purple, where to find the tuberous depends on whether you're looking for seed, tubers, or growing plants. Some tuberous can't handle hot summers and die. My part of NY is considered a cool summer climate. So I don't know if any of the ones I'm growing would do well for you. Maybe some southerners can chime in. Also beware of deer. Tuberous are on many "deer resistant" lists but deer can't read. Half my Go-Gos got eaten down to the soil overnight last year.

The tubers are sold with the summer bulbs - in with the caladiums and dahlias and such. If you're buying locally, look at them before you buy and check several stores. Some places sell dinky dried up things. The nicest bare tubers I've found so far are at my Agway. Nearly as big as my palm, firm, usually showing tiny "pinkies" when the store puts them out on display. So buyers can tell they're alive and ready to plant and which end is up. I haven't mail ordered tubers before but just splurged on a three-pack of Begonia odorata "Angelique" from Tulip World. Saw the company mentioned in another thread on scenteds. Their reputation on the Watchdog and the BBB looks OK. Their begonias are already marked down and they offer a St. Patrick's coupon code through Monday.

The potted, growing plants are usually sold with the annuals. My local nurseries offer baskets of the pendulous types in spring, as well as 4" pots of the uprights. I bought a basket of "Bonfire Scarlet" two years ago and it was just gorgeous. Kept the tubers but only one survived the first winter. However I discovered that it makes viable seed, and now Scarlet has babies. Seedlings are definitely exciting!

Seeds are generally sold with annuals. Mail order only. I've bought from Summer Hill and Swallowtail, but there are many other vendors. Seeds germinate easily. The difficult part is that they stay tiny and fragile for months.

This explains a lot. I was not really into Begonias when I lived in OH, and sounds like they won't make it here, definitely hot. The heat kills Fuchsias too, I am NOT going to waste my $$ on another one this year.

I would have seen them with the packaged bulbs if they were there. I check these displays thoroughly at any store that has them.

Hopefully the government will start one of their expensive programs to teach these ignorant deer to read. Really, how are they going to cross the road if they can't read the signs?

It's possible the stores don't carry them in your area because they had complaints from customers whose begonias didn't do well. There are plants people down south report finding at all their supermarkets and big box stores that I've never seen sold up here.

Those canes are beautiful! How do they do indoors? I might have to try a cane begonia. Growing tender plants up here in the great white north means they are houseplants for eight months and outdoors for four. I won't buy a rex until and unless I set up a terrarium, because the indoor air is dry dry dry for those eight cold months.

LOL at deer literacy programs. Cornell actually has a program to get them spayed.

I'm probably not a good one to ask about growing any plant inside if it's not one that I had in OH (which includes cane Begonias.) The way we heat here doesn't remove the humidity from the air, so it's a lucky coincidence that the plants also love that, but I can't give an accurate report because of it.

Wouldn't you know it, I "accidentally" bought a tuberous Begonia in New Orleans. The tag just said "Reiger" and I realized after I got home it's a tuberous. So I guess part of my plan this year is to watch this thing succumb to heat, erf!

So I've taken all Begonias that weren't already in hanging baskets and put them in the ground.

Also got 9 little wax ones to add to existing hanging baskets (which I'll put in the ground when frost starts to threaten, they're hardy here.) I could use about 50 more! The ones I put in the ground last year are looking so cute poking up with new growth and buds.

Also found a pretty dragon wing that I put in a hanging pot with Syngonium.

Also bought a really pretty pink/purple Rex I've had my eye on at the garden center for a couple months. First trip, not enough $. Second trip, it was sitting in water, so I passed it by. Third trip, it was too cold. Fourth trip, it wasn't killed by the "pond experience" and looking great - brought it home!

It's been having a tough time since I felt compelled to repot it. Has very little roots and I've had to prop it between other plants so the wind doesn't pull it out of the pot again.

So what are y'all doing with Begonias so far, if anything yet...? Really a slow start this year - tomorrow night it's supposed to be down to 42 here! Holy moly!

I got more white wax Begonias and made a green'n'white pot with them, a little Dieffenbachia, Tradescantia fluminensis and Callisia repens. Sure could use variegated Tradescantia in this pot, if anyone out there has some, LMK if we might work a trade!

Sure would like to find more tall, pretty cane type, but that's not easy to do!

I had plans to get a reiger and a couple of non-stops,
and I did get 2 reigers and..lots of non-stops.
some of them already are quite big and have lots of flowers. all are in 4" pots.
I am very happy - but my plans were busted!!!
I checked my notes and they say: repot to 8" for 1 or 3 in 12" and pinch off the flowers until they are 10" tall. :(
they are between 5" and 8" tall now. I am going to keep them indoors for a couple of weeks.
should I repot now or wait until they go outside?
and what about the flowers? some are just laden as you can see! do I have to pinch?

Petruska, FWIW, from my about-a-month-long experience with those Begonias, mine seem fine about being repotted about a week after I got it. It just kept falling over. I separated the 3 individual plants but didn't overall disturb the roots like would usually repotting a not-blooming and tougher house plant.

Took this pic Saturday, that plant is on the little shelf thing toward the right under the canopy. It's been in that area since I brought it home, where the sun hits it, dappled through leaves, after about 4:30 for about 2 hours, then in shade until dusk. So far, it I think it's blooming about the same as it was. I'll put a closer pic after lunch.

Incidentally, you can also see some of the Begonias that have already been placed in the "plan," tall canes and a lot of wax's, and a few wax's still in the little trays, waiting to be adopted into some nice pot or other spot. There's a lot of canes stuck in the pot hanging at the right corner of the canopy too.

nice overhang. I can't see so far, is it reiger you're talking about? i'll be keeping mine indoors for a little color, they just bloom and bloom for months.
i would love to start on canes, but they are too big for me.
I haven't potted up the non-stops, but sure enough they self-pinched by half :(. same as last year. I don't seem to find a sweet spot. put them out as is for now.
I don't seem to find much anywhere on flower/bud drop, except for the usual: if too wet/too dry/too drafty/too hot/not cool enough...bummer.
once I was in PA at Hershey farm gardens: they had these unbelievable begonias in hanging baskets under the trees.
wow! if only...here's a fuzzy shot from camcorder.
that was such a cute set-up.

Yes, that's a Reiger I was talking about. Just took this pic. After it grows a few more new leaves, I'm going to take those ugly ones off, they got mangled on the ride home from New Orleans, then while repotting.

The Reiger above dead, as I said in the other post. Funny though, there were still lots of flowers but the plant had melted away under them. It was too ridiculous looking to keep around, it's started making its' contribution to the compost.

The cane Begonia "house plants" I put in the ground look amazing compared to how they looked after being inside for winter. If I could stop snapping them off to share them with other pots and spots, something might bloom.

I've moved my rhizomatous ones to the base/surface of larger plants. There's so many storms this summer, I was afraid I'd come home from being away and find them in the neighbors yard, or completely gone.

Technically, It's a Cissus discolor, but this 'Rex Begonia vine' is putting on quite a show in this spot, along with the other Begonias.

on my non-stops the flowers got smaller and smaller, but the leaves are ok. 1 or 2 rotted out, then 90s hit, I brought some inside and left a couple as controls outside - I think the inside ones are doing better: I have mid 70s inside and 80% humidity, while outside humidity during the day often drops into 50%, then goes up at nite by 15% may be. on a large flowered tuberous with gigantic leaves they curled down completely: it does not like low humidity or heat or both, and flowers never open up completely, just drop off.
my non-stops always decline by mid-summer. I feed them like African violets with low N, hi P with almost every watering - still the flowers get smaller and smaller. anybody knows what to do about it?
my riegers inside are finishing up - but I see new leaves growth on the bottom: I won't cut them down like last year (never regrew enough), I am just slowly removing tips and some leaves to regrow foliage to renew and may be reflower. can i do the same with non-stops? or mid-july is their old-age with 90F outside?
oh, and i got a nice rex NOID. i think it's tornado - it's perking up and is developing nice color - but i am keeping it indoors. no repot yet, but coming soon.

fabulous!
I am collecting pics from all over of my faves, unfortunately they all need to be ordered, can't find anything locally. bot garden had some, but they were not the ones I want.
finally I found a decent one in flower district and carefully carried it home in a baggy - most outside leaves still got bruised. once the new ones developed I cut them off. can't imagine how they would survive the packaged mailing....

LOVE looking at these pics! The big ones, the colorful ones, all of them! Thanks so much for sharing them. Hope to see many more, and hear about their exploits!

All of my plants are growing so slowly, almost no sun at all for the past month!

Aaaanyway, it wasn't part of my plan to have cuttings eaten by pill bugs...

Also wasn't planned to propagate a new plant this way. This is under my potting bench, barely an inch away from being stepped on, noticed it a few days ago. Apparently I dropped a leaf there in just the right position... To the left is a new leaf.

It was definitely my intention to get new Begonias. Luckily, a mom'n'pop place I discovered recently had these two yesterday. More purple leaves, oh yes! Are they both cane types?

Also grabbed these two, which had bonus plants! One has a Pelargonium, the other has what I think is a Plectranthus. So part of my plan is to separate these today so the respective plants can go to more suitable/separate locations/conditions.

I did say I was going to re-do the rhizomatous. Here's some, at the base of this hodge-pot, on the left, and on the right if you really look closely.

Looking good Purple. Begonias don't have to be pampered to root and grow at times (although it helps a lot).

I have a couple of cane begonias coming up on my compost pile from last year and for the second year in a row a parviflora is coming up where a broken piece rooted in the ground next to a very tall poplar tree.

Here is a large container I planted a few weeks ago. There are two 1 gallon 'Sinbad', two 1 gallon 'Medora', a gallon Persicaria 'Red Dragon', and a gallon Persian Shield (Strobilanthes) in this 18 inch pot.

Thanks! Oh that looks like something I would do! Of course, I absolutely love it! I have PS everywhere, my fav purple plant. Whatever the one on the right is, I think I have that. The tag just said angel wing (if memory serves, it's long gone.)

I sure wasn't coddling those cuttings that got eaten. Sheesh! Apparently pill bugs think Begonias are delicious. As you can see, there's plenty of other already dead material there for them to eat. It's good to know why so many cuttings (in the ground) have disappeared.

FWIW, they prefer this over the adjacent Coleus, established plants, cuttings, picked & discarded leaves.

I know it's a trade when mulching in such fashion, the retained surface moisture provides a habitat for such critters, and freshly dead, soft material is like ringing the dinner bell. The excess rain lately seems to have things temporarily imbalanced, they're not usually so numerous/destructive. I just can't cart a bunch of compost around, or turn a pile anymore, so do most of it in place as mulch. The birds usually do a great job keeping these things at bay, but can only eat so many! At least I know not to feed them any more Begonias.

Ah, pill-bugs /sow-bugs/roly-polys aren't as destructive as slugs and snails or a hungry caterpillar.

I've rooted begonias in sand and gravel so you know they want to reproduce if given half a chance. In Guatemala and Belize I saw them living on top of limestone ruins and outcroppings. Not very coddled in the wild.

That's cool! After feeding him to the birds, I can think of several things to do with that pretty shell. Is that pot hanging, or on the ground for 'vacation?' I see the hanger thingie. Wondering if that critter came a short distance from the ground or found its' way there from a tree limb or something? Do you mind if I ask what state you're in? Never seen one like that.

Yes, the more I 'play' (propagation) with them, the more I see that watering just usually rots things. Can't tell you how helpful your advice has been, and inspiring your pics are!

More rhizomatous used as 'ground cover.' Both plants are now so much more interesting, in my eye. (Other plant is a group of Dracena marginata 'Tricolor.')

I have a lot of hanging pots with wax and other Begonias and looking at the naked sides of the pots was boring me to tears, as well as just being a lot of wasted space. So I did something about that, like the pot below and a bunch of others.

Clicking in here to say I've snapped off most of the stems of the cane Begonias I'd planted in the ground and stuck them in pots that will be coming inside. The ground is so saturated, it's 'leaking' water down the street constantly, ground is squishy, and every time it rains (still daily!) it just floods, it can't soak in anymore. With so much missing sun because of the rain, Begonias were just barely surviving anyway, in spots that should have been perfect in a normal summer, but are not this year. So my plans at this point are ground evacuation (just cuttings, not bothering to dig any roots, many of which seem somewhat to quite rotted anyway,) and preparation for winter, getting everything rooted while it's still warm and humid. Overall, putting Begonias in the ground this year has been a bust, and I can't wait to do it again next year, hopefully 'done better' from the learning experience this year.

Dunno why I didn't notice the above entry when it was added, sorry. That's very pretty! Thanks for the input, you know I'm just wingin' it (good pun?) with these Begonias, largely due to your help and that of other kind souls. I won't feel like I know them well until a piece of every type has been killed in every way I know how, done well in every situation I can come up with, been the subject of weird impulsive experiments, and propagated a few times. Sorry if it's sometimes excruciatingly sad and/or irritating to the more knowledgeable, someone who seems to always do the exact thing against which they are warned (then come back and say, yep, you were right, that killed it!) Know that for each piece suffering, there's a mama plant with a much more stable lifestyle. It's what I do with every/any plant, assuming I can get to that point with it, enough mass to separate some and commence experimentation. Thanks for everyone's helpful and interesting input!

Oh Purple-- so sorry your in-ground was a bust. With the last 2 cool front stretches and cloudy days that came, mine have begun to really do well. It's hot again, but this weekend I heard another cold front was coming. \o/

So I took some photos, but I forgot to bring the camera with me. I just got my very own study room in the library, and am trying to set it up. Also am now teaching Anthropology, so that has been messing with my free time lol. I have hopes to post those pics maybe tomorrow? We'll see.

I love all the pics in this thread! It makes me wish I was closer to some begonia enthusiasts :) I need to take some cuttings to send to you, Purple, maybe in the fall... and then work on some for myself. My husband should graduate in May and will begin the process of looking for a job in Jordan-- so my great plant exodus may be near at hand! :)

O wow, a lot going on! The two sure things in gardening are that you never know for sure what'll happen... and there's always next year! What could be more fun than that? The little garden that could, "I think it can, I think it can!"

My Mom's dog is vacationing here for a few days, I'm sure she's (the dog, not my Mom) going to step on a lot of stuff, o my! Glad I did those cuttings. Jury's still out on if I'm in a position to trade Begonias in the real-near future with anybody. Need to leave stuff alone to just grow for the next couple months. Love the idea when practical, which I hope is while you're still in this country! Look forward to the pics!

Depends on the size of the dog. We have two 80 pound dogs so I must keep my treasures enclosed by 3 foot fences even though the young dog can easily jump that but usually he stays on the side I want him on unless there is a squirrel and I am not outside (GRRR).

Sounds like you have gotten more rain than us but our ground is pretty squishy in some areas. I rarely plant begonias in the ground anymore due to 1) digging them in fall and 2) it is a PITA to dig them out. Pots do provide the drainage necessary unless the drain hole gets plugged from mud, compacted soil, or tree roots. That being said I must check pots the next day after a big rain to see if any are flooded and fix them if they are. Wet soil okay, standing water bad!

As for cuttings I find it best to work on plants that have matured, else cutting a young plant just weakens the plant. Lessons learned.

That is one way to learn - try every method you can think of to grow, propagate, etc. If you haven't killed a plant or come close to it then you will never learn from mistakes.

A cropped picture of a yellowjacket hover fly on a Plum Paisley begonia bloom. I can never catch this fly in flight though - much too quick.

Yay! I found my photos. So here is the main group of begonias-- Little Brother Montgomery is the brightest and bushiest, but then you can see a Coralina de Lucerna, in the back is Paul Hernandez, and off to the side is Begonia Gene Daniels. There is a tuberous one in front. In the pot, but too small to see are luxurians and toldoleana.

These are awesome! I love the combo pots. Folks on this forum have been so inspirational and generous to share their pics!

The dogs (great Dane and golden retriever) were a little rough on the garden for a few days, but it's pretty much been a bust of a gardening year anyway, so no great losses. At this point, I'm just hoping there's enough left of a couple plants to save something over winter. Most of them that didn't happen to get planted in what would turn out to be flood zones are doing great.

Since I had nearly 100% success with my other cuttings I got a few weeks after yours, I think that the ones I got from you got too chilled in the spring chill this year (remember I was out of town and had to call my husband to bring things in?). The Lucerna lived, but that one I had left inside while I was gone. I think I've found the answer! It's the only thing that makes sense to me lol.

My stuff is still chugging along. I think in the cooler fall weather (whenever that happens) there will be a growth spurt.

Definitely possible. Kind of fussy things, but worth it, I'm sure "we" all agree. Nothing ventured... nothing gained! I hope this spring offers a better 'trading window' regarding weather. Stuff that wilts - and Begonias - are those that worry me. I've mailed out lots of other 'house plants' in the heat and they don't mind a bit. Don't think 'gonias would put up with being in a hot box for a couple days any more than they would with the cold. All part of the fun and mystery of trading, huh?

The 'wall of foliage' wouldn't be the same w/o Begonias! I think I'm finished snapping things off, wish I'd stopped a little sooner but we all have our urges, don't we?

No kidding! I do hope we have a better window even though i don't know how I can sneak more stuff past customs if I move LOL. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as you said :P Poor husband is going to have to really pay a lot of bribes for me :)

OK, I am back with a new report! I think the past week has been a good week for my large begonia pot. Although B. luxurians and B. Toledana are sitting still, B. Gene Daniels, B. Paul Hernandez, B. Little Brother Montgomery, and B. Lucerna are all sending out new canes/growth. LBM is going to bloom. Lucerna has thrown out a new 8" cane in the past 3 days.

I'm beginning to dread the whole process of bringing them in. The pot is chock full of sedum-- and it's one that goes dormant. I probably need to remove it before I bring it in as I suspect it's really going to mess with its cycles to not have a winter. but maybe I should just leave it and hope for the best. If it weren't for the sedum, I wouldn't be concerned. The sedum though is a gorgeous base for the begonias. it makes a lush carpet that hides the otherwise bare soil.

OK, back with another report! I moved out the sedums from the pot and put my B. kellermanii, B. fuchsioides, and B. freddie babies in the bottom with the other begonias. Sounds ridiculously crowded, but it's a 24" pot and everything is still very small, growing very little at the moment. I'm going to move them inside this weekend and put them in the south-facing window alcove on the ground. They'll get some direct sun there, but not enough to burn by any means. That's where I put several things for winter like my streptocarpellas.

I'm trying to collect more begonias through trading and whatnot. We'll see how this goes! I am going to bring my cuttings with me when we move, which is looking more and more likely to be in May or June overseas. We'll see though!

Excellent reports, enjoyed them! Hope things go well! Kind of bummed that you're moving, but hope you'll still seem right down the way, posting here & teasing us about your exotic new digs.

Sure fed a lot of Begonia cuttings to pill bugs this year... inadvertently of course. Once they start eating it, there's no saving it though. Next year I won't put any Begonia cuttings in the ground during pill bug season. The ones that established before that and recovered from an unexpected frost are almost all still around. A few were then killed by flood. Then trampled by dogs... Sheesh! I need more shady spots out front, where it's safer.

It's time here to take cuttings, I guess. Could have frost Fri night. Whatever stems in the ground look really good, tall enough, will probably snap 'em off and stick 'em wherever there's room - again. That will only take a few minutes, there's not much. Gaining more and more respect for wax B's. They seem to be tougher against all of this stuff in general, except floods of course. Potted plants were the only real 'winners' here. What a year!

Well! I'll still be online, even if I move there :) And I'll hopefully have nice things to report plant-wise! The new apartment, if we move there, will have a large covered balcony and a smaller, uncovered balcony. TWO BALCONIESSSSSS. I am pretty excited. Husband told his sister to save a unit for us in May. It's her building and they are finishing the apartments and getting ready to rent this winter. I may even be able to trade some, but it would be probably too pricey lol. That's why i want to bring stuff now!

That sucks about the bugs and the whatnot. Some years are just failures. Maybe next year will be better!